Talent participating in the ESPYS will get the red carpet treatment from Wheels Up. The 2021 ESPYS Presented by Capital One will be hosted by actor and producer Anthony Mackie live on ABC Saturday, July 10, at 8 p.m. ET from The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport in New York City.
Capital One returns as the presenting sponsor of the show with the Capital One Cup, awarded at The ESPYS to the best men’s and women’s Division I college athletic programs in the country.
Wheels Up was “chosen to provide safe and secure air travel for talent involved in the production.”
Wheels Up has long had a significant focus on sports sponsorships. It is a sponsor of ESPN GameDay. Last year, it sponsored The Match: Champions for Charity featuring Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Tiger Woods.
Last year, Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter joined with star athletes Russell Wilson, Serena Williams, J.J. Watt, Brady, and others to raise money for Feeding America under the Meals Up banner.
In 2015, it crossed the finish line at the Belmont Stakes with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. It was repeated in 2018 with Justify.
Wheels Up is expected to complete become publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange next month after completing its merger with Aspirational Lifestyle Consumer Lifestyle Corp. Earlier this week it added a number of top restaurants to its line-up of lifestyle partnerships. Its non-traditional approach to marketing private aviation has extended to selling memberships through Costco.